Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave in Gods and Monsters

Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave in Best Movie winner Gods and Monsters

Last updated: January 24, 2006
Copyright 2006 Michael R. Colford.
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1999, 5th Annual Awards

Best Movie

Gods and Monsters - Thoughtful and well-written story of James Whale, the director of Frankenstein among other movies during the time period after the Korean War. Whale, who was homosexual, develops an unusual relationship with his groundsman. Ian McKellan, Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave bring this thoughtful movie to life.

also nominated: Elizabeth, Happiness, High Art, Life is Beautiful, The Opposite of Sex

Best Director

Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful Benigni takes audiences by surprise with his poignant and heart-rending look at one family imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. Who knew the Italian comedian could construct a film of such power and emotion?

also nominated: Aronofsky, Darren for Pi, Cholodenko, Lisa for High Art, Condon, Bill for Gods and Monsters, Madden, John for Shakespeare in Love, Solondz, Todd for Happines

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett for the role of Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth - She's already won a Golden Globe Award for this role, now it's up to us to decide if she'll get the Chlotrudis Award as well. We first noticed her in the States in a quirky film called Oscar & Lucinda. As the young Queen Elizabeth, she commands the attention of moviegoers and subjects alike. This Australian actress has a strong career ahead of her.

also nominated: Barrymore, Drew for the role of Danielle in the film Ever After and Julia Sullivan in The Wedding Singer, Montenegro, Fernanda for the role of Dora in Central Station, Ricci, Christina for the role of DeeDee Pruitt in The Opposite of Sex and Layla in Buffalo 66, Sheedy, Ally for the role of Lucy Berliner in the film High Art, Watson, Emily for the role of Jacqueline Du Pre in the film Hilary & Jackie

Best Actor

Ian McKellen for the role of James Whale in the film Gods and Monsters - Sir Ian McKellen was nominated for a Chlotrudis Awards three years ago for playing the title role in an alternative history version of Richard III. This year he appeared in two widely different roles, most successfully as director James Whale in Gods and Monsters. McKellen brings touching dignity to the last days of Whale's life. McKellen leads a brilliant cast, three of which have been nominated this year for Chlotrudis Awards.

also nominated: Evan Adams for the role of Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the film Smoke Signals, Roberto Benigni for the role of Guido Orefice in the film Life is Beautiful, Danny DeVito for the role of Pat Francato in the film Living Out Loud, Stephen Fry for the role of Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde, Nick Nolte for the role of Wade Whitehouse in Affliction, Edward Norton for the role of Derek Vinyard in the film American History X

Best Supporting Actress

Lisa Kudrow for the role of Lucia in the film The Opposite of Sex Most people know Kudrow for her role as the daffy and hysterical Phoebe Buffay from the sitcom Friends. What earns her this nomination is the marvelous way she leaves all traces of Phoebe behind in her portrayal of the bitter, emotionally repressed school teacher Lucia who has fallen in love with her gay brother's widower. Kudrow rightfully earned a Golden Globe nomination for this role. Look for more varied roles from this talented actress.

also nominated: Joan Allen for the role of Betty Parker in the film Pleasantville
Kathy Bates for the role of Libby Holden in the film Primary Colors
Patricia Clarkson for the role of Greta in High Art
Judi Dench for the role of Queen Elizabeth in the film Shakespeare in Love
Lynn Redgrave for the role of Hanna in the film Gods and Monsters

Best Supporting Actor

Billy Bob Thornton for the role of Jacob Mitchell in the film A Simple Plan - Billy Bob Thornton has made his mark as a versatile and complex character actor and in A Simple Plan he is at his best. A fine tuned performance as the 'simple' brother of a rather sinister and self-centered Bill Paxton, Thornton masterfully complexifies the 'idiot savant' as he weaves between a frustrating simpleton and an acute interpreter of human nature, at times almost sage-like in the unfolding of this tragedy. Once again, Thornton takes a role that may have appeared rather two-dimensional in its scripting and crafts it into a riveting and disarming performance.

also nominated: Brendan Fraser for the role of Clayton Boone in the film Gods and Monsters, Philip Seymour Hoffman for the role of Allen in the film Happiness and Sean in the film Next Stop, Wonderland, David Kelly for the role of Michael O'Sullivan in the film Waking Ned Devine, Geoffrey Rush for the roles of Sir Francis Walsingham in the film Elizabeth and Philip Henslowe in the film Shakespeare in Love, Troy Veinotte for the role of Teen Sweet William in the film The Hanging Garden

Best Screenplay

Todd Solondz for the film Happiness - Solondz introduces us to three sisters, their family, their neighbors and various hanger-on surrounding them. He also introduces the fact that each character has some sort of emotional, mental, or sexual problem. Solondz manages to straddle what is horrifying and what is humorous about a bunch of disparate, pathetically deluded losers, leaving us with a sense that we have witnessed a movie of the true inner life of humanity.

also nominated: Vincenzo Cerami and Roberto Benigni for the film Life is Beautiful, David Mamet for the film The Spanish Prisoner, Andrew Niccol for the film The Truman Show, Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard for the film Shakespeare in Love, Don Roos for the film The Opposite of Sex

Best Cinematography

Matthew Libatique for the film Pi For what is truly one of the most original screenplay's of the year, and on a shoestring budget yet, Pi truly needed a skillful cinematographer. Jewish mysticism, financial plotting, super computers gone mad and the true face of existence are all parts of this frenetic film, and Libatique creates a spectacular barrage of visual stimuli that truly enhances the confusion and paranoia of the script. Combined with an similar aural barrage in the form of post-industrial soundtrack, Pi is a feast for the mind and the senses.

also nominated: Remi Adefarasin for the film Elizabeth, Daniel Jobin for the film The Hanging Garden, Janusz Kaminski for the film Saving Private Ryan, Andrew Lesnie for the film Babe: Pig in the City, John Lindley for the film Pleasantville, John Toll for the film The Thin Red Line

Special Awards

Chloe Award

The First Chloe Award is given to Anjelica Huston. Anjelica Houston

Anjelica Huston appeared in her first movie in 1969, but her career didn't take off until the 1980's. With small parts in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Frances, and This Is Spinal Tap under her belt, Huston exploded onto the public consciousness in Prizzi's Honor. Directed by her father, John Huston, Anjelica shone as the woman who captured assassin Charley Partana's heart. A series of stunning acting turns followed, including The Dead, Mr. North, A Handful of Dust, Enemies: a Love Story, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Witches, The Grifters, The Addams Family, Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Crossing Guard, and The Perez Family. In 1998 she amazed us with two domineering mothers, Janet Brown, the football obsessed mother of Vincent Gallo's character in the amazing, independent film, Buffalo 66 and Rodmilla, the scheming, selfish, yet in Anjelica's hands, strangely human wicked stepmother in the Cinderella story, Ever After. In addition to her fine film work, Anjelica has also thrilled us with exciting roles on television, including Lonesome Dove, Family Pictures, and And the Band Played On. Anjelica has also found a talent within herself to direct, and she's not afraid to tackle sensitive, controversial material. Her directing debut on the film Bastard Out of Carolina was nothing short of amazing. Anjelica's next project will be to star and direct the film The Mammy. With a career like that, how could we ignore this amazingly willing and talented actor?

Gertrudis Award

The First Gertrudis Award is given to Philip Seymour Hoffman. "The unglamorous Philip Seymour Hoffman, with his lank strawberry blond hair, has been in twenty-one movies since 1991. With three films due out this year, he's really gathering momentum. You've seen Hoffman in Twister as Dusty, in Boogie Nights as Scotty, the gofer who pines for Mark Wahlberg, in The Big Lewbowski as Brandt, an officious assistant, and in Happiness as Allen, the obscene phone caller. Most recently he played med student Mitch in Patch Adams. Hoffman has a great ability to show the vulnerability of what one reviewer called "sweaty-palmed misfits." Hoffman himself says, 'I want to try for as long as possible to have people watch my characters, not me.'" -- dy

"If this man can more perfectly embody one more completely pathetic, simpering, revolting, and yet irresistibly compelling character, what's an audience to do but hail him as the next best thing?" -- en

"I haven't seen all of his performances, but I've seen a few. I think it's great that he's avoided being typecast as 'the funny fat guy,' or 'the bitter fat guy,' or whatever. He has chameleon qualities--you know vaguely that you've seen him, but where? The character's in the forefront, and he's in the background, which is one sign of a good actor." -- ct

Taskforce Award

The first Taskforce Award is given to John Sayles. John Sayles

John Sayles is a director who is not only talented, but whose directing and writing style and choices best embody the creative and independent spirit of the Chlotrudis Awards. His long and varied directing credits include Return of the Secaucus 7, Lianna, The Brother From Another Planet, Matewan, Eight Men Out, City of Hope, Passion Fish, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, and this year's little seen, Golden Globe Awards nominated Men With Guns. He has also worked on a myriad of films as writer and actor. His next film is entitled Limbo. Starring David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio and Kris Kirstofferson. Limbo tells the story of people trying to reinvent themselves on the southeast islands of Alaska. The Taskforce looks forward to each and every movie directed by Sayles. We are pleased to present him with the first Taskforce Award for directing!

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